Read a full match report for the Premier League game between Manchester City
and Southampton at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, April 5, 2014

Mauricio Pochettino derided the “dumb refereeing decisions” which potentially altered the course of the title race to set Manchester City on their way to a crucial win against Southampton.

With City due to face Liverpool at Anfield next Sunday in a fixture that has justifiably been billed as a title-decider, Manuel Pellegrini’s team will travel to Merseyside with their fate firmly in their own hands after a calamitous mistake by assistant referee Michael McDonough gifted Samir Nasri the decisive goal in this game.

Clinging on at 1-1 against an impressive Southampton, City claimed the lead in first-half stoppage time when McDonough failed to flag for offside before David Silva teed up Nasri to put the home side 2-1 ahead.

Silva was clearly offside when he received the ball, but the flag stayed down to enable Nasri to score a goal which handed City a decisive boost against an impressive Southampton.

With City having taken the lead on three minutes from the penalty spot, Southampton manager Pochettino insisted that referee Chris Foy and his officials were to blame for his team’s defeat.

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“The refereeing decisions have to be fair and they were not fair today,” Pochettino said. “The second goal was clearly offside, two metres offside, and it felt like a game you play at school where you get these dumb refereeing decisions.

"I have spoken to them [officials] but have not had an explanation. You can imagine what I am thinking. There are two decisions that killed the game. The penalty which we conceded and the second goal, they killed the game.”

Pellegrini unsurprisingly rejected the suggestion that the linesman’s mistake proved the turning point in the game. “I don’t think the second goal changed the game because we scored a third one minute later,” the City manager said.

“Maybe it was a mistake of the referee, but I haven’t seen it. We won 4-1, though. If we won 1-0, maybe you could say it was the difference.”

Southampton’s anger at the decision for Nasri’s goal is likely to be matched by those of a Liverpool persuasion, with the strike banishing the prospect of City dropping points ahead of next week’s momentous encounter at Anfield.

It was an inexplicable decision, with Silva at least four feet offside when he received the ball from Edin Dzeko, but these are the contentious moments that can often prove decisive in title races and the ramifications are likely to rumble on if City emerge as champions next month.

But despite Pochettino’s protestations about City’s penalty opener, referee Foy – accused of ending Chelsea’s title hopes by Jose Mourinho last month – made the right call on that decision following Jose Fonte’s trip on Dzeko.

Yaya Touré, with 21 goals to his name already this season, added another to his tally by calmly stroking the penalty past goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga to hand City the perfect start.

When Nasri shot just wide from Pablo Zabaleta’s pass two minutes later, it seemed as though City were on course to record an emphatic victory that would send a defiant message to the red half of Merseyside ahead of next weekend’s date with destiny.

But Southampton rode the early storm and began to take the game to home side, dominating possession for lengthy periods and injecting fear into the supporters inside the Etihad Stadium.

In front of the watching England manager Roy Hodgson, Jay Rodriguez, Luke Shaw and Adam Lallana proved central figures as Southampton confidently retained the ball and created opportunities against a flat-footed City.

Southampton’s momentum was checked on 21 minutes, however, when Rodriguez suffered the injury which threatens to rule him out of Hodgson’s World Cup plans. Having jumped for a high ball, the former Burnley forward landed awkwardly, with his right knee appearing to buckle beneath him as he fell.

Rodriguez required lengthy treatment on the pitch before being carried off on a stretcher, with Pocchettino visibly concerned over the youngster’s condition.

“To be completely honest, it is not looking good,” Pochettino said. “We have to assess it, but it is not looking good for Rodriguez or Southampton.”

Southampton regained their composure, though, and the equaliser they deserved came on 37 minutes after Foy awarded another penalty following Zabaleta’s clumsy foul on Jack Cork.

Once again, the referee made the correct decision and Rickie Lambert gave Hodgson a timely nudge ahead of the World Cup by maintaining his flawless penalty record to score past Joe Hart. An Englishman who does not miss from the penalty spot? He should be the first name on Hod gson’s squad list.

The next goal was the one which turned the course of the game, however. Silva was clearly offside when he received the ball from Dzeko’s flick, but the infringement was missed by linesman McDonough and Silva squared for Nasri to score from six yards.

It was a moment of relief for City and anger for Southampton – an emotion doubtless shared by Liverpool and Chelsea. But with Southampton trading blows with City throughout the first-half, they were on the end of a knock-out punch when Dzeko made it 3-1 in the third minute of stoppage time with a header from Aleksandar Kolarov’s cross.

With a two-goal lead, City choked the life out of the game in the second-half, restricting Southampton to half-chances.

City also barely threatened, with Toure booked for diving while attempting to win another penalty before Stevan Jovetic made it 4-1 on 80 minutes.

The home side coasted to victory, but the contentious nature of their win will linger on.